15 Iconic Newspaper Covers That Went Down in History

Ford to City: Drop Dead

In a speech on October 29, 1975, President Gerald Ford denied the federal assistance necessary to spare New York from bankruptcy. The following day, the front page of The Daily News read: “FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD.”

Though he didn’t actually say those words, his remarks were not particularly well-received. “The story behind this headline was that it was originally supposed to be much stronger, and indeed obscene,” Levinson explains.

“But this did the trick and provides a classic example of how a headline can characterize the news and put a spin on it, rather than merely summarize events.”